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Water birth is when a woman gives birth totally or partially immersed in water, in a bathtub or pool. It is one of the oldest ways of giving birth. There are several reports in which they inform that princes and princesses were born in bathtubs in ancient Greece, however they were left as a last option by the hospital facilities of modern times.
Currently, this type of delivery has returned to demand, and as there are few maternity options that have the availability of bathtubs to attend pregnant women, home births have increased considerably day after day. In home water births, when there is no bathtub on site, inflatable pools are set up for use at the time of delivery. The purpose of water birth is to relax the woman in active labor , reinvigorating her energies and bringing more calm to the time of expulsion, becoming a moment of tranquility for both mother and babythat will be coming out of the water of the uterus directly into the water of the bathtub or pool that should be heated to an average temperature of 36 °.
Is there a risk of water birth?
The risks attributed to water birth are postpartum hemorrhage , so it is advisable to expel the placenta out of the water to control blood flow and the baby to suck up water, even though few cases have occurred, the risks exist. Some obstetricians also report that in the event of an episode in the case of a larger baby, the procedure is difficult in the water. This type of delivery is not recommended for high -risk pregnancies , premature babies , pregnant women with diabetes, HIV, Hepatitis-B and genital herpes and in cases of very large babies (over 4 kg). Every delivery must be accompanied by an obstetricianor a specialist with emergency and rescue equipment for both mother and baby.
How is the recovery of the mother who gives birth in the water?
In normal childbirth, the woman’s recovery is usually more peaceful than the cesarean section , since she does not undergo any surgical intervention, while in the water birth the recovery is even more peaceful , because in the water the woman spends less energy and has her body relaxed with heated water, which helps in accelerating the dilation of the uterus, having a faster and less aggressive expulsion for mother and baby. Regarding the vagina and perineum, due to extreme relaxation in the water, the rates of lacerations or edema are lower than in a conventional normal delivery .
See also: Postpartum Menstruation – When you return to Normal and Risks of Getting Pregnant
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
